Houston, We Have a Tweet

A wireless internet connection to the International Space Station meant to soothe the isolation associated with space travel has produced the first tweet from outer space. “One small step for Twitter, one giant leap for mankind. Earlier today, NASA Flight Engineer TJ Creamer sent the first live tweet from outer space, urging earth-bound Twitter users to correspond with the NASA team on the International Space Station. ‘Hello Twitterverse!’ Creamer said in the message. ‘We r now LIVE tweeting from the International Space Station — the 1st live tweet from Space! 🙂 More soon, send your ?s.’ Technically, Creamer isn’t the first astronaut to tap into Twitter. Last year, a crew member on the Atlantis shuttle sent messages to NASA Mission Control, which uploaded the short blasts. And in 2008, NASA created a page for the Mars Phoenix Lander. But Creamer is the first to take advantage of a wireless connection on the International Space Station to send a tweet directly from space. In coming weeks, Creamer will post additional tweets, as will two of his crewmates, ISS Commander Jeff Williams and Japanese astronaut Soichi Noguchi.”